Saving Wood from the Landfill, Without the Supply Issues

Author name:
Brent Ehrlich
Blog Category:
GreenSpec Insights
Oregon-based Viridian upcycles shipping waste to make stylish flooring, tabletops, veneers, and other products
Once destined for the landfill, this wood was taken from shipping materials and upcycled into Viridian's Jakarta Market Blend flooring. Photo Credit: Viridian Reclaimed Wood
Over the years, the GreenSpec team has looked at a lot of reclaimed lumber. It’s usually taken from barns and other aging structures, checked for lead paint and chemicals, and then turned into flooring and other products.
It’s rustic and attractive, but actually ordering it is fraught with supply challenges, so when Joe Mitchoff, co-founder of Viridian Wood Products, stopped by the office to show his company’s products to Alex Wilson and me, my expectations were not particularly high. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the product and the story behind it.
The Process
Most of Viridian’s wood is not reclaimed from buildings. Instead, it comes from overseas shipping materials gathered from the Port of Portland, Oregon, and other area ports. Mitchoff and his business partner, Pierce Henley, discovered that the wooden pallets, crates, and other packing materials that came into the port everyday were sent to the landfill as a matter of course—up to thirty, 30-yard dumpsters per ship. “We found this tremendous waste at the Port of Portland,” Mitchoff said, and they began looking for ways to upcycle it.
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